


Got'alayi

by mxartbotboy



Category: The Mandalorian (LadyIrina AU), The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Baking, Birthday, Fluff, Gen, M/M, baby adventure time, grogu and junior getting up to shenanigans, grogu loves his buire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:21:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28735653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mxartbotboy/pseuds/mxartbotboy
Summary: “I told you, I don’t remember it.” Din had his head turned down, away from Corin’s gaze. Corin gave a long sigh, sitting down in one of the chairs across from their bed.“I don’t remember mine and we celebrated. We didn’t know the kid’s and we celebrated. Why not for you?”~~Grogu takes it upon himself to make something special for Din, who refuses a birthday celebration of any kind. Baby antics ensue.
Relationships: Corin the Stormtrooper (Rescue and Regret) & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Corin the Stormtrooper (Rescue and Regret)/Din Djarin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 60





	Got'alayi

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OK1MYK1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OK1MYK1/gifts).



> This fic was written for the wonderful OK1MYK1 who is an all-around lovely person and has written some wonderful Grogu-centred fics that I highly recommend to anyone. It’s also her birthday today- happy birthday from the Mandorin crew! We hope you enjoy your birthday gift fic <3
> 
> got’alayi - birthday cake 

“No,” Din said firmly, setting his pauldron down in his lap, “Absolutely not.”

“ _Din_.” Corin crossed his arms, getting a stubborn look on his face. Grogu flicked his gaze back and forth between his _buire_ , suckling gently on the head of his wooden frog. They’d been at it for a while now, arguing back and forth while Din cleaned his armour and Corin folded some freshly washed clothing. The two of them didn’t usually argue like this and Grogu could sense the odd tension between them; stubborn determination on Corin’s part and a reluctance from Din that he didn’t sense very often. Din was always the sure one and it was unsettling to have him be avoidant like this, to parry Corin’s requests at every turn. Grogu dug his teeth into the wood and settled back in his bassinet.

“I told you, I don’t remember it.” Din had his head turned down, away from Corin’s gaze. Corin gave a long sigh, sitting down in one of the chairs across from their bed.

“I don’t remember mine and we celebrated. We didn’t know the kid’s and we celebrated. Why not for you?”

Din’s hand paused, cleaning cloth gripped between his fingers. Grogu knew that it didn’t make any sense. He didn’t completely understand the necessity of this thing called a birthday– they had never had anything like that in the temple and so it had been a complete novelty when one day he woke up to a delicious sweet cake and toys wrapped up in colourful paper for him to tear off. Everyone had gotten him something and it had filled the members of the hideout with a particular joy that Grogu knew was uncommon. It had been a wonderful day, and not long after, Din had organized something similar for Corin. Corin had been resistant as well, but Grogu knew that the resistance came from a dark, tight place inside of Corin’s mind. Corin was often uncomfortable with attention on him, so Grogu had made it a personal goal to ensure that Corin enjoyed himself during the party, bringing every gift to him individually and insisting that Corin get a second slice of cake. 

And he wasn’t about to stop now. 

The argument had fallen silent, both Corin and Din at a standstill where Din absolutely refused and Corin couldn’t get another word out of him. Din reattached the finished pauldron and stood. “I have to talk with Paz and Raga.” He placed a hand gently on Corin’s shoulder, turned away from him in frustration, “See you later?”

Corin sagged the slightest and looked up. “Yeah. See you.” Corin watched as Din left the room and then turned back to the laundry, fumbling with the shirt in his hands.

“He nevers listens to me,” Corin said out loud, laying the shirt out on the table, “If I have to sit through a birthday party then so does he.” Grogu chirped in agreement and waved his wooden frog in the air emphatically. _We should do something anyways!_ As per usual, Corin didn’t understand him, and he smiled in Grogu’s direction. “I hope he’ll let me do something. Anyways,” Corin straightened and walked over to the bassinet, taking the wooden frog, “It’s time for your nap, _ad’ika_.” Grogu blinked, and then dropped his hands down. Now wasn’t the time for naps. But Corin tucked the blankets around him anyways before patting his head. “I’ll come get you in a bit.”

Leaving the laundry for later, Corin went to the door and switched off the light, swathing the room in darkness. Only the sunlight from the small window in the upper corner of the room illuminated it and Grogu watched carefully as Corin closed and locked the door behind him. It was now or never. 

Pulling himself free of the blankets, Grogu swung himself around and dropped onto the floor, wobbling slightly as he caught his balance. This wasn’t the first time that he had crept out during a naptime and it was routine at this point to wave his hand and unlock the door. Pushing it open, Grogu teetered out into the hall, peering both ways to make sure that no one was coming. It was empty, and so Grogu was on his way, starting towards the kitchen. He did have one stop to make, though. 

After a few minutes of walking, Grogu stopped in front of another door, ears twitching as he listened. Through the wood of the door he could hear the soft sound of snoring and, pleased, Grogu waved his hand to open it. He poked his head in. In the centre of the room slept Mose, deeply and soundly. At the base of his tail, Junior was curled up, also asleep, but lighter than Mose was. Grogu could tell these sorts of things, and he quietly made his way over to place a tiny hand on Junior’s arm. The Huttlet shifted and she blinked up at Grogu, sleepy at first, and then eyes widening in excitement. She opened her mouth but Grogu shook his head with a soft coo. _Don’t wake him_. Unlike with the adults, Junior’s mind was malleable enough that she could understand Grogu, in a way, and Grogu often found that his thoughts translated over to his friend without trouble. She nodded and then extricated herself from Mose’s tail, slinking around to join Grogu.

The both of them were soon on their way, Grogu in the lead and Junior following. Junior didn’t question where they were going; she usually trusted her friend on these little adventures and the purpose of their clandestine trip would reveal itself in time, she knew. _This way_ , Grogu gestured, tottering around a corner into the hallway where the kitchen was. Junior perked up at this, recognizing where they were and couldn’t help but gurgle excitedly.

Grogu was glad to sense his friend’s enthusiasm. Food was a particular shared joy for them, for everyone actually. The kitchen was always a hub of activity during the day, usually in the mornings and evenings, everyone brought together by a need to eat and a desire for company. And for Grogu, for a birthday, the most important aspect had been the cake. 

_Do you remember the cake for my birthday?_ Grogu asked, pressing an ear to the door of the kitchen. Junior nodded, glancing over her shoulder anxiously. She knew that the kitchen was an active area and Grogu could sense her concern about getting caught. He gave an encouraging look as he waved the door open, _No one is here_. As promised, the kitchen was empty, and Grogu led Junior over to the shelves with the food stores, turning his small face up to examine the contents.

_Are we making a cake?_ Junior wondered.

_Yes. We’re making a birthday cake for Din._ Grogu began lifting different cans and bags off the shelves and onto the floor, with Junior squeaking excitedly. Grogu wasn’t exactly sure what one put in a birthday cake, but there were enough ingredients that they should be able to whip something up. After locating a large bowl, the two of them began dumping things in, cooing and chirping in conversation over what would be best to add. Breadroot flour, barkmeal, and a handful of kukuia nuts. Junior found some sticks of lard and a tube of root paste in the conservator, as well as a beautiful juicy jogan fruit that they tore to pieces and threw the chunks in. With a little help from Grogu’s powers, the concoction was mixed and they soon had a doughy blob in their bowl, with chunks of nuts and fruit. Gripping the edge of the bowl, Grogu gave a little frown. The dough was a bit crumbly and he had the sense that it wouldn’t bake very well. 

_There was some milk too_ , Junior thought and Grogu quickly made his way back to the conservator, opening the door and lifting out a bottle of the blue liquid. It wobbled when it landed on the floor, but Grogu steadied it with his hands, his little fingers wrapping around the neck and dragged it over to the bowl. Junior watched in anticipation as Grogu popped the lid off and hoisted it up, holding the bowl down while the milk splashed into the bowl. It went everywhere, and Junior squealed as her face was covered. Grogu set the bottle down noisily, giggling at the milk dripping down Junior’s face, _Sorry!_ Junior didn’t seem to mind too much, licking what she could with her short tongue off her lips. 

The milk did the trick, turning the dough into a batter, and making it ready to bake. Junior and Grogu dragged the bowl over to the gasser, the batter sloshing up the sides and nearly over the edge at some points; Grogu gave a chirp of caution and Junior nodded, focussing on not spilling anything more. Situating themselves in front of the gasser, Grogu swung the door open and with his eyes closed, levitated the bowl inside. He had just closed the door again when Junior gave a loud squeak, waving her arms at something Grogu couldn’t see. He looked around the side of the gasser and his face fell at the sight. A bundle of wires and tubes coming out of the side of the gasser hung limply and flicking the dial at the top confirmed it; the gasser didn’t work. 

It couldn’t be- they were so close already! Grogu was so busy chittering away with Junior about what to do that he didn’t sense the presence of someone else entering the kitchen, not until a voice interrupted them, “What are you babies up to?”

Both of them looked up, Grogu’s ears drawing back and Junior wringing her hands anxiously. It was Liita, and she looked them over curiously. She held a toolkit in one hand, clearly on her way to somewhere in the castle and had only been drawn into the kitchen at the sound of Grogu and Junior’s antics. Junior began squealing loudly, gesturing towards Grogu and the gasser emphatically. Grogu chirped defensively, also pointing at the gasser with a frown. Liita walked over and crouched down next to them, setting her toolkit down. “Oh yeah.” She tapped the side of the gasser thoughtfully, “I forgot I hadn’t fixed this yet.” She glanced down at Grogu and Junior, who had fallen silent, “You babies using this for something?” Hopefully, Grogu cooed. Liita gave a firm nod and pulled her toolkit over, settling next to the gasser, “Might as well, then. Nanowaved food tastes like bantha shit. Just hang on.”

Not believing their luck, Grogu and Junior waddled over next to Liita, watching in awe as she began tugging out wires. At first, they were held with rapt attention at what Liita was doing, soldering and connecting and screwing. But the longer it took, the more that their focus began to wander. Junior tugged Grogu back over to where they had been mixing, to the abandoned jorgan fruit, and they happily began munching on it, digging their fingers into the soft flesh and slurping juice up from their chin. They giggled to themselves as they took turns seeing how weird a noise they could make with half-chewed fruit in their mouth, while Liita continued working away, muttering to herself. Finally, she stood up and Grogu’s ears perked, thinking that the Zeltron might be finished with her work.

“This thing is so old the parts are practically falling to pieces,” Liita said, brushing her legs off, “but I have some spare parts in my room, should be able to do a few upgrades while I’m here.” And without another word, Liita strode out of the kitchen, leaving her toolkit and a very confused Grogu and Junior. They looked at each other and Junior shrugged. Did the gasser work or not?

Grogu wasn’t about to wait around to find out. He quickly wobbled over to the gasser and squinted up at the dial, twisting his hand and watching it turn with his movement. The gasser clicked on and Junior squealed in excitement, sliding over and tugging emphatically on Grogu’s robe. Grogu chirped in satisfaction and turned towards Junior. Now all they had to do was wait.

That was when Grogu felt it, a wave of tension and panic that flooded through him. He blinked and looked towards the door, hearing the footsteps echoing down the hall louder and louder. Junior burbled curiously and Grogu’s shoulders hunched up. Uh oh.

“ _Ad’ika_!” Corin went whizzing past the kitchen door, stopped, and then stuck his head in. His eyes were wide with worry and Grogu could not have felt a bigger wave of relief from him when his gaze fell on the two of them. 

“You two,” Corin said, taking a step forward, “ _Cannot_ disappear like that-”

There was the sound of something electrical, maybe a spark of some kind and the three of them just had time to look at the gasser before there was a small burst of light and a zapping sound. Smoke plumed up from the gasser and Junior shrieked. Grogu threw his hands up to cover his face and there was an acrid, tangy smell of electricity in the air. Quick as a whip, Corin had dashed over and scooped the two of them up, holding them close to his chest as he crossed over to the other side of the kitchen. Over his shoulder, Grogu could see flames licking up the side of the gasser and he struggled in Corin’s arms. Din’s cake!

Depositing them at a safe distance, Corin whirled around and snatched the flame douser off the side of the shelving unit and began spraying the gasser. Thankfully, the fire was quite small and after about a minute of spraying, it had been put out in a puff of black smoke. With a heaved sigh, Corin turned back to Grogu and Junior, “Everyone okay?”

Grogu could feel Junior trembling next to him and he placed a hand on her back, sending out a calming wave of energy. He chirped at Corin and nodded, his eyes drifting back to the gasser. Corin pushed the hair off his forehead and pulled out his comm, dialing in a code.

“Din? I found them.”

A sigh crackled over the comm, _Where?_

“The kitchen.” Corin glanced over at Grogu, who was now rubbing circles into Junior’s back, “Not sure what they were up to but we have a bit of a mess now.”

_I’ll be right there_.

They exchanged goodbyes and Corin tucked the commlink away, putting his hands on his hips. “Alright you two. Let’s get this cleaned up.”

Din joined shortly after, stopping short when he saw Corin wiping soot off the wall behind the gasser, “What in the Maker-” 

Corin shrugged, looking over his shoulder, “Beats me. Something with the gasser. Didn’t even think that it worked.” Bending down, Corin swung the door to the gasser open and peered inside, before reaching in and pulling out the bowl with the slightly cooked batter. He stared at it for a moment, and Grogu could sense the confusion. _It was for you, Din!_ he chirped and they both looked over at him before back at the bowl. Then Corin’s face lit up with a smile and he held the bowl out with a chuckle, “Happy Birthday, Din.” It takes a moment for Din to process what Corin was talking about and Corin laughed at the tilt of his helmet. With a sigh, Din walked over and crouched down in front of Grogu and Junior, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Alright, you little womp rats,” Din said, reaching out and placing a hand on Grogu’s head, “We’ll do something. As long as you don’t try to bake me anything again.”

Grogu trills with satisfaction and beams over at Junior. Mission accomplished.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Liita walks into the kitchen and pauses. While most of the mess had been cleaned up, there was still the remains of the gasser, burnt, and a horrible smell in the air. Liita frowned and circled around the kitchen, looking for Grogu and Junior with no success. Where did they go? She stops in front of the gasser and stares down at the melted mess of wires. “What in the kriff happened here?” she muttered, staring distastefully at the scorch marks across the top of the gasser. Something clearly had, and Liita shrugged to herself before picking up her toolkit, which had migrated its way to the kitchen counter.

“I’ll fix it later,” she said to no one in particular, and left, her mind already wandering to the next project.


End file.
